STOP WOODFIN.org

In addition to showing up in the courtroom we are staging a protest!

Come on downtown!

On Tuesday, January 19, 2010, at 2:00 PM, freedom and democracy go to court to fight the atrocity of forced annexation. That citizens of the United States would have to battle local government in a court of law for justice is certainly shameful, and is an effort that we can and should support.

The City of Asheville has been aggressively using the club of bad law in an attempt to forcibly annex the Biltmore Lake Community. And the community has been fighting back! When Asheville would not back down, BLC hired a lawyer and their day in court is fast approaching.

In an effort to support not only the Biltmore Lake Community, but all communities across North Carolina who are combating forced annexation, Betty Jackson and StopWoodfin.org are staging a protest to coincide with the opening day of the trial. Please join in – all opponents of forced annexation are invited!

Details:

Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Time: 2:00 – 5:00 PM

Place: In front of the Buncombe County Courthouse

What to Bring: A homemade sign (suggestions below)

Literature will be available for handouts.

The weather forecast is for 47 degrees and partly cloudy skies, which sounds
good! (Comparatively speaking, that is!)

Contact Info: Betty Jackson, email, (282)259-9160

Sign-making party at Betty’s house Saturday evening, 6 – 8 PM. Bring poster
board. Markers will be provided. (map)

SIGN SUGGESTIONS:

The following is a message from another Buncombe County group that is fighting off a forced annexation attempt. The City of Asheville has been after the Biltmore Lake Community for a couple years, and they are finally going to trial this month.

Jerry Jensen of this citizen's action group gave us incredibly valuable advice, even before we had a name for our group, let alone a steering committee. He came to the very first meeting we had, in George & Terry's garage on a hot July evening, and talked freely, and brought us up to speed quickly. Thanks to his generosity we were able to quickly and effectively mount our successful campaign against Woodfin's forced annexation attempt of our area.

We can return thanks in a significant way this month by attending part of the trial, as a way of showing support. Please check your calendars and see if you can attend even a small part of the trial, which will be very informative for us, in addition to supporting Biltmore Lake Community. It starts on January 19, a Tuesday afternoon, and is expected to go for the remainder of the week. Will post updates as soon as we have them, so check the website for news.

Thank you!!

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Biltmore Lake Annexation Update

Biltmore Lake’s lawsuit against Asheville’s FORCED ANNEXATION is scheduled to begin trial at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, in the Buncombe County Court House downtown Asheville.

The court room is located on the 7^th floor and will hold approximately 200 spectators. It would be good to fill as many of those seats as possible as a large showing will help demonstrate to the judge our community spirit and resolve to fight this injustice. Even if you cannot attend every day of the trial, a partial-day attendance would be helpful. One might find Wednesday the 20^th to be a really good day to attend. Nevertheless, our attorney, Mr. Craig Justus, encourages those who attend to wear something bright – our well-recognized signature RED SHIRT is recommended.

Our attorney is very encouraged by the excellent work the land-use consultant has done. His testimony, in addition to the evidence the other witnesses will present, should be compelling. Although the attorney is confident we have a strong case, the judge’s decision will, of course, determine if that is so.

Win or lose in Superior Court, you will recall, we will be forced into an appeal. Clearly the 2010 Asheville city-budget-deficit virtually assures the city will not let this forced annexation die. Consequently, the BLCAC will need to call upon everyone to help secure the funds necessary to continue this fight...more about that later.

Good neighbors count on one another to help.

01/12/2010

BLCAC Steering Group: Jerry Jensen (Chairman), Dieter Buehler (Treasurer), Steve Bratsch, Jerry Coffey, Beth Gurnack, Carol Keleher, Bill Newman, Mary Lou Sartoris and Dwayne Wiseman

Biltmore Lake Community Action Committee (BLCAC) is an organization of residents whose primary mission is to stop Asheville in its attempt to forcibly annex Biltmore Lake. To join our legal fight, please send a check for $200 payable to BLCAC, c/o Dieter Buehler, Treasurer, 93Mountain Drive, Biltmore Lake, NC 28715. For more information, visit www.stopasheville.com. Contact us at blcac@stopasheville.com.

Merry Christmas from StopWoodfin.org!

2009 certainly had an unexpected element for all of us. Who knew that we'd end up fighting for liberty and justice in our own back yards? Many thanks to all who took a stand against the tyranny of forced annexation by Woodfin. We continue to enjoy a sweet victory!

We look forward to continuing to stand together against this kind of injustice in 2010 as we combine forces with other groups from Buncombe County and across North Carolina to make dramatic changes to NC's forced annexation law.

Our November meeting was a great one. We came to some important decisions about our remaining funds that are being kept in a "warchest" in case we need it later. Also, our representative, Jane Whilden was able to attend and gave excellent advice and encouragement for future actions.

Representative Larry Brown (NC District #73), in a recent letter to the editor of the Tryon Daily Bulletin, made the following statement about forced annexation: "Involuntary annexation without the consent of the people is the most egregious event that can happen in what we call a free and democratic society. It seems that every level of government is forgetting that it gets its authority from 'we' the people." Thanks for those words, Larry, and thanks for being an anti-annexation fighter in Raleigh. (FYI, Tryon just rescinded a forced annexation, so those folks in Polk County certainly have something to celebrate!)

Members of the Woodfin Watch recently attended the December meeting of the Woodfin board of aldermen and watched the newly re-elected officials swear to defend both the US and NC Constitutions. Betty commented to the Leicester Leader reporter present that she was glad to see those folks swear that oath and reminded them that forced annexation is an assault against life, liberty and property. Hopefully they will remember their oath in future deliberations. Regardless, we'll be keeping an eye on them.

Again, best of wishes and many thanks for everything you did in order to Stop Woodfin!

May 2010 be a year of happiness and prosperity for you and your family, and may we all ultimately celebrate justice prevailing over tyranny.

StopWoodfin.org Victory!

If you haven't already heard the news, StopWoodfin.org has achieved a tremendous victory. Tuesday, September 15, the Woodfin Board of Aldermen came to their senses and unanimously passed a resolution to suspend the annexation of our area.

Many, many thanks to each and every one of you who personally gave of your time, money, sweat, energy and tears to bring this to pass!

We would be remiss, however, not to inject a word of caution into the midst of celebration. The mayor and aldermen of Woodfin still have until October 5th to annex. We think the chances that this would happen are pretty slim, but we cannot ever trust these government officials in Woodfin, and ask you to help us all by keeping your eyes and ears open. We need to be cautious and keep our legal funds in the trust account until the October 5 expiration date of the original Resolution of Intent to Annex has passed. At that time we would like to have a big meeting -- to congratulate each other, celebrate together, and decide what we, as a group, want to do next.

And, unfortunately, the possibility still exists that these people will start up a new resolution of intent to annex at any time in the future. Woodfin and Asheville are now discussing some kind of
annexation agreement, so we must continue to remain vigilant.

One thing to discuss with you. The gratitude we have for those who stepped forward and put their hard-earned money on the line is beyond what can be adequately expressed in a simple message like this. That we were able to fund the legal effort and hire attorney Matthew Roberson made a HUGE impact on the outcome we now enjoy. Yes, we put a lot of vocal, political pressure on the Woodfin government, but without the "bite" of having hired a lawyer, they could have just simply ignored us and steamrolled over the top of us because the fact remains that we have no legal rights, no vote, no say of any kind, in the state of North Carolina regarding forced annexation. We hired Mr.
Roberson because the way to effectively fight this kind of battle is on technicalities, and Woodfin's errors became apparent through legal discovery.

If this victory is important to those of you who have not made a contribution to our legal fund, please seriously consider doing so now, to share the cost of this expense with your neighbors and friends who have already come forward. Your contribution at this time will make a big difference. Please go the Contribute Now page on this website to donate online via PayPal, or send a check to:
StopWoodfin.org, P.O. Box 1465, Leicester, NC, 28748-1465.

Again, many thanks to all who contributed in the many ways that we worked to bring the Woodfin officials to the point of backing off. We have been an awesome force! All of us on the steering committee are so proud of what we ALL have accomplished together.

With gratitude,

StopWoodfin.org Steering Committee
Dave Blevins, Steve Branstetter, Phil Flack, Stephen Freeby, Myra Fuller, Betty Jackson, Elaine Laufer, Martha Lowe, Carolyn Williams

P.S. StopWoodfin.org is not going away! Stay tuned for news of future developments.